MEVAGISSEY PARISH COUNCIL
http://mevagisseyparishcouncil.co.uk/
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held as a virtual meeting
On Thursday 18 February 2021 at 7pm
Present Cllrs. M Roberts (Chairman), M Facey (Vice-Chairman), D Drake, J Gann, L Hereward, C Leiser, J Morgan, H Nathan, G Shephard, J Whatty, A Williams.
In Attendance Cllr. J Mustoe (Ward Member), P Howson (Clerk to the Council), 3 members of the public.
UNRATIFIED UNLESS SIGNED
- There were no apologies for absence, all members being present.
- There were no Declarations of Interest or Gifts.
- No members of the public wished to address the Council.
- Proposed by Cllr. Whatty, Seconded by Cllr. Facey that the minutes of the meeting held on 21 January 2021 be accepted. Carried.
- Proposed by Cllr. Williams, Seconded by Cllr. Drake that the minutes of the planning meeting held on 22 January 2021 be accepted. Carried.
- The Clerk reported that:
- A letter had been sent to support Dr Dave Watkins’ bid for IRF funding for flood risk management within the Mevagissey Rapid Response Catchment;
- CC had been notified that this Council had approved the Standards Committee’s proposed changes to Cornwall Council’s model Code of Conduct;
- A letter of thanks had been received from the Headteacher of Mevagissey CP School following the grant for the purchase of books for extra-curricular reading at home during lockdown;
- The Reopening High Streets Safely Fund will be extended to 30th June, subject to final confirmation from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Applications to the fund must await approval before any activities are undertaken. This is an opportunity to fund any extra safety measures required to help with the safe reopening of the central shopping area once lockdown measures are lifted;
- The B3273 will be closed between Tregiskey and Tregorrick during the hours of 7pm – 6am, from Monday 22nd February to Friday 12 March, for road surfacing and maintenance.6a. Matters arising from the Clerk’s report:
- The Chairman asked if the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund could be used for the necessary adaptations to the public toilets. To be confirmed.
- The Ward Member presented his report, including that:
- May’s local elections will be going ahead on Thursday May 6th and he will be standing for the new Mevagissey and St Austell Bay Division of CC;
- He has spoken to CC’s Head of Transport about the proposal to install safety railings along the sea wall at Portmellon, driven by the need to avoid liability for any fatal accident there, and the work scheduled for this month has now been deferred to the autumn following consideration of all the options and further consultation;
- Cormac plan to repair the recent damage to the sea wall at Portmellon next week, tides permitting;
- CC’s application to DEFRA for a flood relief scheme for the village was submitted at the end of January;
- Finally, work to install electric vehicle (EV) charging at Willow Car Park will start on 22nd February. Traffic lights near Ava/bus stop will enable WPD to bring a cable across the road for a new power supply that will allow expansion when EV takes off. There are 4 x 22kw chargers via Podpoint, wholly paid for by the business.The full report can be seen on the Council’s website.7a. Matters arising from the Ward Member’s report:
- The Chairman reported that since the Council wrote to Cornwall Council last October to highlight the danger to public safety represented by the dangerous cliff above East Quay, there had been a further two recent rockfalls, and he asked the Ward Member to take this up. Cllr. Mustoe reported that he had already done so, but CC’s legal department were still trying to establish who was legally liable and he had been trying to persuade them that the critical safety issues required a more proactive response.
- The Chairman noted that since the suspension of charging in CC’s car parks it was now often difficult to find a space in Kiers, including for visitors to the surgery.
- To approve the monthly finances.
Bills to Pay
Salaries
£
1,000.00
HMRC (PAYE)
£
250.00
Monthly subscription to Zoom
£
14.39
Office costs
£
38.97
Temp suspension of W. Wharf PC December waste collections
£
3.48
(paid)
Temp suspension of W. Wharf PC January waste collections
£
3.48
Service recycling banks January 2021
£
546.00
West Wharf PC electricity 02/01/21 – 01/02/21
£
25.00
(paid)
West Wharf PC water 15/12/20 – 02/02/21
£
137.02
(paid)
Operate Valley Road PC February 2021
£
905.34
Operate West Wharf PC February 2021
£
941.50
TOTAL
£
3,865.18
Accounts
Amount available to spend as of last meeting
£
102,794.67
Expenditure last month
£
3,286.22
plus Valley Road PC water 03/12/20 – 04/01/21
£
42.46
Mevagissey School PTFA (grant)
£
500.00
Available to spend
£
98,965.99
Bank Statements (01/02/2021)
Current Account
£
565.56
Deposit Account
£
98,400.43
TOTAL
£
98,965.99
Proposed by Cllr. Hereward, Seconded by Cllr. Williams that the accounts be accepted and the bills paid. Carried.
- Cllr. Morgan reported that the engineer’s baseline costs for a survey of the Nare Court viewing platform had been circulated to members. Cllr. Gann explained that the original drawings were no longer available, so it was not possible to prepare a specification for the engineer; and the Nare Court Residents Company were unable to provide maintenance details because there had been none to date. Proposed by Cllr. Morgan, Seconded by Cllr. Gann that the Nare Court Residents Company should be asked to provide to the Council a fully detailed report on the viewing point and access path before any further consideration was given to the matter. Carried.
- Cllr. Facey summarised the required works to the public toilet blocks agreed by the Public Toilets Working Group (PTWG) during the recent site visit. A partial quote for the works had been received.10a. Proposed by Cllr. Facey, Seconded by Cllr. Drake that the spend for the costed works be approved, with a specified sum being made available in advance to the contractor. Carried.10b. Proposed by Cllr. Gann, Seconded by Cllr. Morgan that power be delegated to the PTWG to authorise spend of up to £2,000 on the as yet un-costed works once the costs become known. Carried.
- Cllr. Gann provided an update on efforts to identify land opportunities suitable for affordable housing development by a Community Land Trust (CLT). Next week he will be attending seminars run by ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) to compare their approach with CLTs. He then described the growing problem of local privately rented housing stock being let on contracts of up to a year at inflated prices to people from up country, thus reducing availability for local people. Cllr. Mustoe agreed, saying he was seeing more cases of local people in good jobs now looking for social housing because private rentals were beyond their reach.11a. Proposed by Cllr. Gann, Seconded by Cllr. Shephard that a register of all properties subject to Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) Policy HO1 (principal residence requirement) should be maintained and published on the Council’s website for public visibility and as an aid to enforcement. Carried.
- Cllr, Whatty reported that the Carbon Audit had been received, and this would form the baseline for the work of the Climate Action Group who would meet shortly to advance their plans.
- Cllr. Facey reported that there were no issues with the recycling banks, other than items continuing to be dumped behind them. This is fly-tipping and he is concerned that, once lockdown is lifted, it will become a sufficient problem for legal action to be taken against offenders.
- Cllr. Facey reported that progress in setting up a working group to explore longer term solutions for traffic congestion in Fore Street would have to await the end of lockdown.
- Cllr. Gann reported that he was awaiting contract details from the preferred supplier for future waste recycling and disposal for businesses.
- Cllr. Gann reported that other commitments had delayed progress towards the creation of a Facebook group including terms of reference to be agreed.
- Cllr. Whatty reported that no progress had been made since the November meeting on researching the benefits and liabilities likely to arise from the adoption of a beach management plan for Portmellon, the scope of which remained open.
- It was noted that the legislation which allows for virtual council meetings expires on 7th May, after which councils must revert to physical meetings.18a. Proposed by Cllr. Williams, Seconded by Cllr. Drake that the council should write to Steve Double MP to press for the need to retain the option for virtual meetings beyond that date. Carried.18b. A decision on whether to bring the Annual Parish Meeting of Electors forward so that it could be held virtually was deferred.
- The Council considered Steve Double MP’s email asking for a response to the government’s Flood Re consultation and Call for Evidence. Cllr Facey will advise Floodwatch members to respond if they wish, and will liaise with Cllr. Gann to produce a response from the Council.
- The Council considered a request for support from the Mevagissey Christmas Lights Committee, but was concerned at the lack of clarity over who was responsible for the main strings of lights which are also deployed during Feast Week. Proposed by Cllr. Whatty, Seconded by Cllr. Facey that the matter be deferred until responsibilities have been clarified. Carried.
- Cllr. Gann raised concerns over the new pedestrian signage on Polkirt Hill, which did not meet expectations. Proposed by Cllr. Facey, Seconded by Cllr. Nathan that the Community Link Officer be asked to arrange for the removal of the signage. Carried.
- Proposed by Cllr. Shephard, Seconded by Cllr. Nathan that Gareth Williams be co-opted to fill one of the casual vacancies on the Council. Carried.It was noted that the necessary formalities would be completed in time for Mr Williams to join the Council for the March meetings.
- The meeting ended at 8.35pm. Date of next (non-planning) meeting: 18 March 2021 (virtual meeting unless advised otherwise).
Signed …………………………………………………………………………….. Dated ………………………………